However, for optimal efficacy,  we would still exercise caution with products that formulate the 2 together. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I tried to look into the subject, but I only found different opinions on this. Which niacinamide containing skincare products are you using? In bold you can see numbers (as above) which hopefully will help you understand how to layer The Ordinary. The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 4. Using too many exfoliating products together is going to leave your skin irritated, reddened, flaky and sensitive. We like to think of layering acids like double cleansing. Can niacinamide cooperate with acids? Do this for a week and then add in your BHA. It loosens the bonds that hold dead cells on the surface of the skin allowing, them to shed … can come with a bit of a mean streak due to its irritation potential. Whilst nicotinic acid can cause facial flushing in some individuals, it is not a harmful ingredient. pH only ever exists if there’s water about town, so if you have oils from The Ordinary skincare range e.g. Chey don't wonder it didn't work for me. Note: vitamin C and Niacinamide when used together can trigger irritation. Have more questions about how to mix your skincare like a pro? Team water ingredients should generally go on before team oil ingredients for the best chance of absorption. Mixing it with acids can cause dryness and irritation and damage the skin’s moisture barrier, and together they’ll also increase skin’s sensitivity to the sun, meaning you’re at a much higher risk of burning and UV damage. This is what happens when you use retinol and vitamin C together. Others might get best results if they apply the product a few times per week. You know the ones. Niacinamide and AHA CAN work together (despite old studies) but the pH range for the both to work well together is extremely small which means high chance this product isn't in the right pH. Some skin types can jump right in and use a Mandelic Acid products twice a day with nary a tingle. Using these [together] can cause dry, red, irritated, and flaking skin.” But since everyone’s skin is different, the combo could be safe and even beneficial for some, like those with oily skin. Stay on top of new skincare lessons and upcoming launches! Here’s the deal, simply don’t use vitamin A products [also known as retinol] with any kind of acidic ingredients, the key ones being – AHA’s (glycolic, lactic acid), BHA’s (salicylic acid) and vitamin C (as ascorbic acid). Retinol is sweet and works best at a pH of 5.5-6, vitamin C is sour and works its best at a pH of <3.5. Just don’t try it the other way around eh, spaghetti bolognese is not easily applied. This hype only applies potentially to use of retinols and acids together, not retinoids. If your skin is not used to acids or you’ve never tried combining Vitamin C with BHA or AHA before, you’ll want to ease into it. However, it does not have the same effectiveness as pure niacinamide. Um hellooo over-exfoliation! If you haven’t then consider me handing you a skincare present. Contact us at info@chemistconfessions.com. Putting all three products on your skin right off the bat could cause irritation and redness. Secondly, Retinol & Vitamin C just don’t work well together. While she does use L-AA daily, she'll add three nights of a high dose retinol a week and just follow up with a moisturizer. Compared with glycolic acid, mandelic acid has a higher molecular weight that prevents it from being as quickly absorbed, which makes it suitable for sensitive skin. If you’re starting to notice things (fine lines, pores, pigmentation), and want to get your skincare routine working it’s butt off for your skin concerns – I’m here for you. So her typical go to is L-AA for day and AHA for night. If it worked for you, highly likely also due to the fact that Niacinamide is an excellent ingredient by itself! That depends on you. These work around the same pH level and can be layered. It's time for your skincare to do real work. Fortunately, you don't have to choose between these skincare ingredients. The best way to have both in your life is to use L-AA during the day and retinol at night. Mandelic Acid 10% + HA offers superficial dermal peeling that is gentler than other alpha hydroxy acids. This larger size allows mandelic acid to penetrate the skin more slowly which in turn makes it very gentle and suitable for all skin types. Niacinamide is not just a superheroine, it has enough power to be a whole team of superheroines. Skincare science is just a different kind of nutrition, one that your skin drinks up. can actually help decrease retinol irritation, and on top of that, it can bolster your skin barrier, When creating your own layering cocktail, it’s important to. With these rules memorised your skincare stage will be perfectly set for its best performance yet. And if you have a friend who loves skincare but is afraid she’s doing it wrong, use that big green button below to share this blog with love. Related Questions. Skincare actives interactions can look a bit like a trashy reality TV relationship map. Deciem Responses Regarding Conflicts & The Ordinary Products You Can & Cannot Mix Why can´t I now use Vitamin C derivatives with Niacinamide? This is something I know a lot of you worry about. Especially to light. Still looking? But with so many acids on the market, it can seem overwhelming to remember which to use and for what and which products to buy. The molecular weight of mandelic acid is 152.1 daltons which is larger than other alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid is 76.0 daltons, for example). I haven't posted about THE ORDINARY in a little while, only because I have been using only ONE acid from them, and thats the MANDELIC ACID....it has temporarily replaced my NIACINAMIDE … Skin can get the best of both worlds, so long as you’re super savvy about timing. First, they all encourage your skin to exfoliate. No, mandelic acid shouldn’t be combined with other actives, simply because this acid has been shown to deliver powerful results and tackle multiple skin concerns through various trials. I’m here to help. A gentle leave-on exfoliating serum formulated with 10% mandelic acid at pH 3.5 and 2% niacinamide to refine pores and balance out skin tone while keeping skin hydrated and protected. pH is a scientific measure of how acidic or how alkaline an ingredient (with water) is. Which retinol are you using? Retinol pH needs to be at a higher level (pH~5.5) which doesn’t go well with L-ascorbic’s needs for a pH of 3.5. You try to lighten it back out, mixing in more and more white, and before you know it you’ve manufactured a litre worth of still brown and just not budging. 3. The Ordinary Buffet 7. Retinol and vitamin C used together are a bit like a sweet & sour mix with relationship tension. All comments are moderated before being published. Encore. Meanwhile, Victoria … is a simple soul and likes putting less stuff on her face (*cough...also lazy). Alpha Arbutin, Niacinamide, vitamin C, kojic acid, azelaic acid are some formulas that are safer alternatives to the highly-popular hydroquinone which though is effective against hyperpigmentation, it has major side effects and can make your pigmentation worse when used for a long period of time. The exception: There’s always one that likes to be a different eh. They’re clunky. You've probably heard of glycolic acid, lactic acid, and you may even be familiar with hyaluronic acid for skincare. Thank you for this informative post! But it won’t help you with wrinkles. Can I use retinol with vitamin C? Now imagine niacinamide as a lovely bright green and vitamin C as a vibrant skin-loving orange. would raise that pH up closer to the 4.5, 5 range without further adjustments. Acids work to remove the upper layers of dead skin cells leaving skin renewed, brightened, and free of cellular debris. Usually, this is by putting a little jacket on and active ingredient conflict i.e. If your skin responds well to both of these, at most we would recommend alternating nights with these two. If you do some digging on the interwebs, you’ll soon find many articles telling you to avoid this combination because of the resulting dreaded yellow complex. So again, this combo isn’t harmful but there are some steps needed to use these two ingredients together more effectively. Why these are better together: Far from being in conflict, these two complement each other. Team water ingredients should generally go on before team oil ingredients for the best chance of absorption. Not every combination works and turns out the relationship can be complicated. Literal chemistry. Secondly, niacinamide and acidic skincare ingredients have some chemistry going on ;). ***Note that niacinamide = nicotinamide; niacin = nicotinic acid. Mandelic acid is not as well known as a skincare ingredient, even in the beauty industry. Mandelic Acid 10% + HA – The gentlest of The ... It’s also recommended to use SPF the morning after using lactic acid because it can increase skin’s sensitivity to the sun. It’s the same rule as above, just switch retinol for niacinamide. Yikes. This is the order, but it doesn’t mean you have to always use all 4 of them, 1+2+3+4. Lost Souls - Let's Build Your Skincare Routine! L-ascorbic acid + Niacinamide - Relationship Status: It’s complicated. on vitamin A. Once you decide to use them together, try it for 1-2x a week and so if your skin is able to handle it then you can continue with using it more frequently. Do you have one of those childhood memories? Once in a while though, she will reintroduce retinol back into her life on an every other day basis, and NOT in conjunction with AHAs. Unfortunately, your reliable neighborhood anti-aging superstar retinol can come with a bit of a mean streak due to its irritation potential. Well, when you get niacinamide and an acidic skincare ingredient together, they ‘cook’ and niacinamide becomes another ingredient called niacin. Let’s start with the Big 4 of Actives: L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), AHAs (glycolic, lactic, mandelic acid), niacinamide, and retinol. Retinol + AHAs - Relationship Status: Volatile! . What’s going on here then eh? I don't peel every day. This is a product for oily skin only. Study showing how topical products can affect skin pH 2 hours or more [, Study demonstrating panthenol and niacinamide’s benefit when using tretinoin [. 1. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 2. Ask me them here. By removing the obstructive layer of cellular debris, the acids prep skin for better absorption of ingredients like niacinamide. Let us know! Well, not so fast! Niacinamide and retinol can be combined in one product but are also available separately. Interesting! They're just better apart. As with all exfoliating acids mandelic acid works to accelerate cell turnover by dissolving the tiny bonds that hold skin cells together, helping to remove dead skin on the surface that can lead to dull complexions, as well as fine lines. It’s like turning your garden sprinkler from hydrated lawn to power hose mode. As a quick review: BHA: salicylic acid sorta bats for both teams, Written by The Chemists - Victoria & Gloria, Tackling Unwanted Dark Spots & Pigmentation - Pt. A good rule of thumb to live by is to follow which team (oil or water) the ingredient bats for. As you can see, in this crude breakdown, it can get confusing even with just 4 actives, so let’s walk through the map together! Your skin cells and your protective skin barrier are both getting power hosed away. First is like mixing paint. Layering and combining skincare actives can be complicated. It’s why I’ve created this free downloadable, How to Cocktail Your Skincare Like a Pro guide. 1. Yes, you can use lactic acid first, then niacinamide and then rosehip oil. 3. If you haven’t then consider me handing you a skincare present. In Being Savvy at Skincare by Cheryl Woodman MChem3 Comments. Heck, what does all that mumbo jumbo mean? Start by applying just Vitamin C, every other day. Light is going to increase the skin sensitivity you experience from this ingredient mix. Find out more here. As creator of Honesty For Your Skin her aim is to help you care for your skin in the best ways possible. Real talk, ain’t nobody got time to wait 2 hours to put on the next skin product. It would be awesome if you could help! But wait! Niacinamide can actually help decrease retinol irritation, and on top of that, it can bolster your skin barrier. Finding your core daily routine and building on top of it by carefully experimenting can pay off big time! Niacin flush is a possible side effect of taking high doses. You can use TO niacinamide twice a day on oily areas but I wouldn’t use it at all on dry areas. 5. Reason being, needs to be in a formula with low pH of 3.5, but intrinsically. It’s multi-tasking anti-ageing with skin brightening, soothing with redness-reducing and spot fighting with oil balancing. You need at least 10% glycolic acid for Anti-Aging purposes. Niacinamide when used at 4% strength evens out your complexion without the harmful lightening side effects associated with hydroquinone. 2. Recap: skincare ingredients you should never mix. the image at the top isn’t loading, might just be my browser. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% 6. L-Ascorbic Acid Powder; 100% Niacinamide Powder; The Ordinary Regimen Examples. It’s the same rule as above, just switch retinol for niacinamide. They’re safe to use together and have several benefits when combined. Niacinamide and vitamin C are two skincare ingredients with powerful benefits for skin. Theyre the miracle tools used to fight acne, wrinkles, age spots, scarring, and uneven skin tone. their 100% Plant-Derived Squalane or their 100% Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil, this rule, does not apply. Like we said, just alternate if you really are trying to work in both. Eventually you can start using them together but again START SLOW. Being a skincare scientist is like being a chef to skin. Want a reminder of this? It’s certainly acceptable to use vitamin C and niacinamide together. Don’t mix niacinamide with acidic skincare ingredients like AHA’s/BHA’s and vitamin C. Vitamin C is pretty darn famous in skincare, but you might not have heard of niacinamide. I use the Geek & Gorgeous Cheer Up Mandelic acid 6% + BHA 2% and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% with Zinc. However, for optimal efficacy,  we would still exercise caution with products that formulate the 2 together. Before all that, you have to know where to start. This is because niacinamide is non-acidic, so it can be applied underneath your hydrating serum, moisturizer, oil or sunscreen without having to wait in between layers. Cheryl Woodman is a scientist & award winning skincare formulator who’s more friend next door than bow tie wearing professor. You are the best. Lili, I don’t recommend using salicylic and glycolic acids together because they both exfoliate the surface of the skin, leaving you more prone to over exfoliation. Niacinamide & Acidic Ingredients. You may have heard that acids and retinol don't get along well together—and you'd be right. And to make sure your skincare routine is mixed the right way to get you makeupless skin you love? Unfortunately, your reliable neighborhood. Actives Relationship Map. Can you use vitamin C and niacinamide together? It’s best to use them at separate times; for instance, vitamin C as part of your day routine and niacinamide at night. If you want to refresh your mind on what mandelic acid is and does first, you can take a look at my last ... (AHAs) & Salicylic Acid (beta-hydroxy acid) work together to reduce blemishes and blackheads, refine large pores, speed up cellular renewal, lighten dark spots + melasma while increasing hydration and strengthening the skin’s barrier. Remember, thinnest / clearest to heaviest / opaque. This bad boy causes redness and flushing. She’s founder of the natural & fragrance free skincare brand Honesty while also hosting 1 to 1 skincare coaching to help you get your best skin yet. Copyright 2016-2020. Encouraged, you probably can’t wait to get your hands on all the top of the line actives on the market. 1. There are 2 reasons why this mix is like ‘cheffing-up’ a chocolate and apple cider vinegar dessert. Great for acne breakouts, salicylic acid shrinks them up, and fast. I would love to see more achieves added in the future (esp kojic, and tranexamic!). It's fine to use either an AHA and retinol, or a BHA and retinol in one skincare routine. Then those little jackets get un-zipped. Which The Ordinary products should not be used together? You want to know you’ve set up the perfect stage for your skincare to perform. When you’re using skincare ingredients that have a very similar function, together, it’s like asking for trouble. But, just like retinol, it can be drying to skin. Just click here, or below to download it now. She added that for at-home use, lactic acid products should be about 10 percent or less, with a pH of around 3.5 to 4. L-ascorbic acid + Niacinamide - Relationship Status: It’s complicated. And remember, it doesn’t have to mean you ban certain skincare ingredients from your skin’s diet. In a nutshell, this combined niacinamide ascorbate complex is still effective for skincare. After putting effort into pampering your skin, you want to know it’s working. 4. Both look fantastic separately but when mixed together – brown. Using them together means neither have their perfect skincare stage for a winning performance. Mixed together they can become inactive. Want us to build it out to include say kojic acid, peptides and more? Reason being, ascorbic acid needs to be in a formula with low pH of 3.5, but intrinsically niacinamide would raise that pH up closer to the 4.5, 5 range without further adjustments. Was the actives relationship map helpful? For example, Gloria doesn’t respond super well to retinol. So let’s figure out how to combine and handle skincare actives with confidence. The chemists have formulated the best in class skincare, marrying the best synthetic and natural ingredients in a dynamic formula for you. Or my ultimate recommendation – keep niacinamide for your morning skincare routine and the acidic ingredients that can make skin photosensitive for your pre-bed skincare. Regardless of how often you use your Mandelic Acid product, it is essential you apply a broad spectrum sunscreen on daily basis. Niacinamide and vitamin C don’t work well together in skincare because when mixed together they metaphorically make brown and you can’t un-mix them again to get their awesome skin benefits. But that's starting to change as more skincare brands are adding it to their lines. Can I use them at the same time, or should I use the peel at night, and the serum at mornings? Let’s start with the Big 4 of Actives: L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), AHAs (glycolic, lactic, mandelic acid), niacinamide, and retinol. Retinoids – save them for your evening skincare routine #skintips pic.twitter.com/u6qn41Hm4d, — Cheryl Woodman (@HonestyForSkin) 5 April 2017. If your mornings are typically rushed, it's often most convenient to use niacinamide in the morning and acid at night. What I have for you today will be super helpful in relieving your worry about mixing the wrong skincare. The Lactic Acid is again a thin liquid which spreads even more easily than the Niacinamide, but this one has a slightly orange colour, but once it has been applied you wouldn’t know, your face doesn’t turn orange. Usually, the reason cited is to avoid different pH levels of the products to “cancel out” each other. Do you need help choosing? Salicylic Acid + Niacinamide. When creating your own layering cocktail, it’s important to consider the layering order. So work your way up to them. Here my friend is a list of the skincare ingredients you should never, ever mix. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 3. L-ascorbic acid + Retinol - Relationship Status: Better as long-distance friends. I don’t blame you. Proceed with caution. Really. An easy way to use both niacinamide and acid is to apply them at different times of day. Are you happy with the results or do you want to simplify to spend less time on skincare? Which product is best for me? Use these ingredients on alternate days or weeks if you’re after the benefits of both. Need my help to choose? Guess we’ll see! Don’t mix niacinamide with acidic skincare ingredients like AHA’s/BHA’s and vitamin C. Vitamin C is pretty darn famous in skincare, but you might not have heard of niacinamide. Brown when you were going for lilac – how has this happened? Finding that first effective ingredient that makes a visible difference to your skin is a bit like opening pandora’s box. In some unrelated studies, we find that if a product affects your skin pH, it takes WAY longer than 20 minutes for skin pH to go back to the usual 5.5 (think more like 2 hours). This is a key reason why you should not be using Retinol & AHA’s/BHA’s together on the same night. As you can see, in this crude breakdown, it can get confusing even with just 4 actives, so let’s walk through the map together! How to Use The Ordinary Skincare – pH. Just separate them out into your morning and night-time skincare routine. In a nutshell, this combined niacinamide ascorbate complex is still effective for skincare. We wouldn’t recommend using them together in the same night routine. The Ordinary products typically are either water-based or oil-based, and it's important you apply your water-based products first. So if you would like to layer the two, bundle these two for your night routine. Meaning if you have a product that contains retinol + vitamin C in the same bottle and it claims something like time-released retinol it should work just fine. Till your skin has balanced back to a normal retinol friendly pH. And use acidic ingredients like glycolic or salicylic acid by itself to the full benefits of its neutral pH 5 level. For your morning routine these include: 1. There are new technologies that will help ingredients to slowly release in your skin. While it’s best to leave AHAs for night use, but you can use L-AA both day and night. Imagine (well actually I can just remember this… oh dear…) cutting your fringe, realising its wonky and then cutting it again. AHAs + L-ascorbic acid - Relationship Status: Perfect for each other and they know it. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. These two are both known for effectively increasing cell turnover. Mandelic acid is a beneficial skincare ingredient in its own right. So again, this combo isn’t harmful but there are some steps needed to use these two ingredients together more effectively. The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + H… Niacnamide + Retinol - Relationship Status: The love is real! Plus they'll tell you how much active they've put into every bottle. Niacinamide is a Mary Poppins bag of goodness for skin. I’m currently trying to figure out where to insert an AHA into my routine, and this helps.